'Raw and relentless film-making; truth-telling cinema that captures a dark kernel of Mexico's nightmare like no other to date.' – Ed Vulliamy, The Guardian

'Jaw dropping. Nothing short of spectacular...these you-are-there moments represent the documentary form at its best, offering a testament to how filmmakers risk everything to tell us important stories.” – David Lewis, San Francisco Chronicle

'Visceral. Urgent. Unnerving. Mr Heineman has a terrific eye.' – Manohla Dargis, The New York Times

SYNOPSIS

With unprecedented access, Academy Award® nominated and Primetime Emmy Award winning CARTEL LAND is a riveting, on-the-ground look at the journeys of two modern-day vigilante groups and their shared enemy—the murderous Mexican drug cartels.

In the Mexican state of Michoacán, Dr. Jose Mireles, a small-town physician known as “El Doctor,” leads the Autodefensas, a citizen uprising against the violent Knights Templar drug cartel that has wreaked havoc on the region for years. Meanwhile, in Arizona's Altar Valley—a narrow, 52-mile-long desert corridor known as Cocaine Alley—Tim “Nailer” Foley, an American veteran, heads a small paramilitary group called Arizona Border Recon, whose goal is to stop Mexico’s drug wars from seeping across our border.

Filmmaker Matthew Heineman embeds himself in the heart of darkness as Nailer, El Doctor, and the cartel each vie to bring their own brand of justice to a society where institutions have failed. From executive producer Kathryn Bigelow (THE HURT LOCKER, ZERO DARK THIRTY), CARTEL LAND is a chilling, visceral meditation on the breakdown of order and the blurry line between good and evil. At the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, Heineman received both the Directing Award and Special Jury Award for Cinematography in the U.S. Documentary competition.

DISTRIBUTION

CARTEL LAND was released theatrically nationwide by The Orchard in July 2015. The film had its broadcast premiere on A&E in January 2016. It is now available on VOD platforms including iTunes, Amazon, and Netflix.